


Axes| Expectations

by ajstyling



Series: Hilda Birthday Bash 2020 [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Axes| Expectations, Gen, Hilda Birthday Bash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:34:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22521088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ajstyling/pseuds/ajstyling
Summary: Written for day 1 of the Hilda Birthday Bash 2020. For more information on that seehere
Relationships: Hilda Valentine Goneril & Holst Goneril
Series: Hilda Birthday Bash 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1620445
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Axes| Expectations

**Author's Note:**

> Stan Hilda Valentine Goneril

Hilda slowly made her way through the fortress. Sweat clung to her skin which chafed beneath the armor she wore. Her armor was marred with splotches of dirt and blood—whose blood she couldn’t be quite sure. Her feet ached and her eyes were leaden with weariness

She wanted a warm bath, a soft bed, and, most of all, she wanted to be back at Garreg Mach. But Holst expected her and she wasn’t one to disappoint her brother.

So, she begrudgingly trudged her way through the streets of Fódlan's Locket, past the market and the barracks, past her Golden Deer classmates, and past many of the fortress’s taverns. She arrived, after what felt like an interminable amount of time, at Holst’s manor and proceeded without much fanfare through the halls and to the room where he was recovering. 

Holst was still laid up in bed, pale and haggard looking although at least he was awake. 

“You look awful,” Hilda said.

Holst groaned deeply, but couldn’t stop his grin. “Thanks, sis.”

“Are you on the mend?” 

Holst nodded. “Turns out it was just a bad mushroom. A _really_ bad mushroom.”

Hilda moved to Holst’s side and gently slapped his arm. “I had to come all the way here because of a bad mushroom?” 

“Sorry.” Holst did his best to look guilty, but not nearly enough for Hilda’s taste.

She sighed loudly and sat down on the edge of the bed where Holst laid. “How much longer do you need me here?”

“How long do you want to stay?” Holst answered with a question of his own. 

The sheen of sweat still stuck to her skin and the lack of sleep sat at the front of her mind as she looked him in the eye and said, “Not very long.”

Holst nodded, understanding settled in his eyes, before laughing quietly to himself.

“What’s so funny?” Hilda asked.

“In this case, I’d say the Divine herself.” 

Hilda’s eyes narrowed, “What does that mean?” 

Holst laughed once more, “She must have a sense of humor. How else would you explain me being given the responsibility of guarding this border and you being given the ability to defend it better than I could ever hope to?”

Hilda shifted uncomfortably on the edge of the bed. Holst’s words were kind and well-intentioned, but they sounded a lot like pressure and expectations to her ears. 

“If you wanted, all of Goneril would be yours. All of my inheritance. All of my troops. All of it.”

“Stop,” Hilda said firmly. “I don’t want any of that. Ever. And when you get over this stupid mushroom, you’re going to realize that I should never have any of that.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Hilda knew Holst wouldn’t change his opinions of her, but she also knew he wouldn’t push her further. 

“I want to go back to the monastery,” she said at last.

Holst nodded, not a trace of dissent in sight, before pulling off the necklace he wore. A small key hung from the necklace. 

“Take this,” he pressed the key into her hands and nodded towards a large chest that sat in the corner of the room. “If you won’t take anything else, then I must insist that you take what is in the chest.”

“Holst, you don’t need to pay me silly. Your my brother.”

Holst shook his head. “Not payment. I just think it’s time for you to finally have what’s always been yours.”

Hilda groaned, too tired to deal with Holst’s cryptic words. The exhaustion that tugged at her core pushed her to bite back any retort and instead she moved toward the chest.

The unlocked the chest with Holst’s key and felt a shiver run down her spine as she opened the chest. Inside the chest sat the largest axe she had ever seen. The blade itself it looked like it was made of bones. Ten sharp spikes covered the length of the curved blade and in the middle sat red jewel. 

As she reached toward the axe, she felt her crest thrum inside her chest. The axe seemed to pulsate with an ominous thrum as her hands wrapped around the handle and the red jewel began to glow as she picked it up. 

“I knew it,” Holst said from the bed.

She turned to look at him, axe still in hand, and raised a single eyebrow.

“I knew that axe belonged with you,” he eyes lingered on the glowing core of the axe. “It never did that for me.”

The axe felt… well, it felt gross. Hilda’s skin crawled as her crest thrummed and the axe pulsated. She wanted to throw it back in the chest and never look at it again. But the look on Holst’s face said that wasn’t an option.

“Fine,” she said with another sigh. “I’ll take this, but that’s it. No more talk of giving me your inheritance. Deal?”

“Deal,” Holst nodded.

“Now, I’m going to find the nearest bed and sleep for as long as possible.”

She moved toward the door, eager for sleep and an excuse to put the axe as far away from herself as possible.

As she moved to cross the threshold from his room and into the hallway she heard Holst call out once more from the bed.

“Whatever you do with that axe, Hilda, I’m so proud of you.”

The warmth of his words were almost enough to mask the chill that had settled in her bones from the axe. With a small smile and a big, creepy axe, Hilda moved through the manor eager to find the first available room. 

She would give the axe to the professor as soon as possible. Her brother’s words, though, those she would keep forever.

**Author's Note:**

> Stan Hilda Valentine Goneril 
> 
> Also, come yell at me here:  
> Twitter: @ajstyyling  
> Pillowfort: ajstyling  
> Discord: ajstyling#6251


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